At the same time, the book is so engrossing and epic in its ambition that it doesn’t feel drawn out in the slightest. Reading The Goldfinch is 100% worth the effort even though it’s very long so can be off-putting.

I thought the luxurious, somewhat stifling Barbour’s apartment was especially well imagined, as well as the desolate Las Vegas house where Theo goes to live with his gambling addict Dad. “is it better to throw yourself head first and laughing into the holy rage calling your name?”Īll of Tartt’s diverse settings are brought to life throughout the film. The book’s emotional power is retained (I was a snivelling mess by the time the end credits rolled!) as well as the humour that balances it. Nevertheless, I didn’t feel any sense of absence as all the best bits of the plot were captured fully. Special mention must also be given to Aneurin Barnard, who pulls off the formidable task of trying to portray Theo’s friend Boris, beloved of so many imaginations and my own favourite character!Ĭonsidering that The Goldfinch is a tome of 800 pages, it was inevitable that some serious tightening was going to be needed for the film adaptation.

Ansel Elgort is a fantastic choice to play Theo, as is Nicole Kidman for the role of Mrs Barbour. The absolute stand-out element of the film for me was the incredible casting. “And in the midst of our dying, as we rise from the organic and sink back ignominiously into the organic, it is a glory and a privilege to love what Death doesn’t touch.”

However, this remnant of stability will also be shaken when the art he treasures so much draws Theo into a spiral of criminal activity. That is until his life is irrevocably shattered at the age of thirteen when he loses his mother in a museum terrorist attack.Īs a cast of wayward characters makes their way into and out of Theo's life, he clings to the art his mother loved as a way of maintaining a connection with her. Aside from his recently-gone-AWOL father, Theo is a relatively normal New York schoolboy. “A great sorrow, and one that I am only beginning to understand: we don’t get to choose our own hearts”ĭonna Tartt's masterpiece The Goldfinch follows the story of Theodore Decker. Instead, I will be recommending both the book and film as if I’m on commission! When it comes to the film adaptation of Donna Tartt’s novel The Goldfinch, fortunately, these misgivings proved unfounded. I always wonder if the directors fear us book nerds, poised at our keyboards ready to tweet them into remorse if they don’t do our beloved characters justice! However, there is always an element of apprehension when a treasured book is being adapted for film. I love books, films and TV shows and have never seen any reason why these enjoyments have to be mutually exclusive. First, let me get one thing out of the way: under no circumstances do I subscribe to literary snobbery.

The goldfinch by donna tartt